AllFreeNovel
Share Us
When he finished with the train, he grabbed the last remaining box under the dining room table, finding more mail. This one seemed to contain more in the way of bills and letters. He tossed most of the mail into the recycle bag, wondering again why she would have kept a yellowed gas bill from fifteen years ago.
He'd almost emptied the box when he stumbled upon a dozen letters held together by a rubber band. His jaw dropped open in shock as he read the name of the addressee—it was him. Eleanor had written to him, addressing the letter to Decker Hayes. He ripped off the band, realizing none of the envelopes had been opened. They'd all been sent back saying address unknown.
The address on the first two envelopes was in Arizona. They had lived in Arizona for a year or two, but he couldn't remember the street name. The next letters had been sent to an address in San Diego, another city they'd spent a short time in, but he didn't know if the dates matched up. Clearly, they hadn't, since all the letters had been sent back. Or maybe his father had just returned them because he didn't want any contact with Ellie.
He ripped open the first envelope, his hand shaking a little as he unfolded a piece of note paper.
Dear Decker,
I loved meeting you last summer. I wish we could have spent more time together, but I'm praying you'll come back soon, and we can ride the train again. Your smile was so bright that day at the park. I don't think I'll ever forget it. I just wanted you to know that I love you and I'm sorry we didn't get to say goodbye. But one day we'll see each other again. In the meantime, here are some stickers that reminded me of you. I hope they'll remind you of Colorado.
Love Always, Ellie
His heart raced as he stared at the stickers, reminded of how much he'd loved stickers when he was a kid. He'd plastered them all over his backpack and everywhere else. It had driven his dad crazy.
But why was he thinking about stickers when he should be wondering why Ellie had written to him, telling him she loved him?Why would she love him? Was he related to her?
And why wouldn't she have written to his father?He wouldn't have been able to read her letters at age six.
He opened the next letter, which had arrived a month later, according to the postmark.
Dear Decker,
Merry Christmas! I sent you some toys. I hope you get them. I think you'll like what I picked out. Remember the puppies you loved meeting at my friend Clara's house? Well, I sent you some puppies to play with.
Love to you and your dad!
Ellie
Decker shook his head in confusion as her note referenced something else they'd done together. He didn't remember riding a train with her or going to see puppies.Or did he?
His lips tightened as he heard the horn on a train ring out. He remembered the wind in his face, the lake in the distance. Someone had been sitting next to him. He didn't think it was his dad. He smelled perfume.
As he struggled to remember the past, the doorbell suddenly rang, and he jumped, his pulse racing even more.
The door opened before he could answer it, and Chloe popped her head in, a smile on her face.
"Hi," she said, as she pushed the door open, and Leo darted past her, running straight for the train. "Sorry about the bell. Leo loves to ring doorbells. How's it going?"
"Uh…fine," he said, trying to get his head back in the present.
She gave him a quizzical look. "Is everything okay?"
"Not really."
"Why? What's wrong?" Her gaze narrowed in concern. "Did you find more rot? Will the job be more expensive?"
"No, it's not anything to do with the house. I found some letters from Eleanor to…" He still couldn't believe the connection between himself and Eleanor Johnson.
"To who?" Chloe asked impatiently.
He walked over to the table and brought back the letters and envelopes. He handed them to her. "See for yourself."
"Decker Hayes?" she said in shock, lifting her gaze back to his. "Eleanor wrote to you?"
"I read the first two. They would have been sent the first year or two after we were here. But the letters never got to me. She had the wrong address." He paused. "Actually, I don't know if she had the wrong address, if we'd already moved, or if my father just sent them back unopened."
"What did she say?"
